Say it ain’t so: Fans of Celebrity Apprentice heaved a collective sigh of relief when Donald Trump said he would not be running for president in 2012 , but now the business mogul says he may very well jump back into the race. “It was not an easy decision for me…
Continue reading …US stock futures are rising after two encouraging employment reports. The government said today that the number of Americans who made first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped to 418,000 last week, slightly below estimates and the lowest figure in seven weeks. In a separate look at the labor market,…
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England’s clash with France will only be screened live via red button interactive service The BBC is under pressure from MPs and charities to show England’s quarter-final clash with France in the women’s World Cup live on one of its main channels on Saturday, amid warnings that not doing so could hamper the growth of the sport. Hope Powell’s England team, who beat Japan 2-0 earlier this week in Germany to qualify for the quarter-finals, will only be shown live via the red button interactive service. The BBC is refusing to bow to the pressure to switch it to a terrestrial channel, even though while the match is on BBC2 viewers will be watching a repeat of classic Ronnie Barker comedy Porridge and antiques show Flog It! The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), which has campaigned for more media coverage of women’s sport amid fears that a lack of female role models is leading to a precipitous drop in girls playing sport at 16, said there was a risk the game would be unable to capitalise on the surge in interest. “With the growing buzz among football fans about the World Cup quarter-final it would be an unprecedented boost for women’s sport if the BBC could find a way to rejig the schedules,” said WSFF chief executive Sue Tibballs. “We appreciate that they have existing commitments to other sports but we’re talking about the quarter-final of the World Cup – the pinnacle of women’s sport. It would send the clearest message yet to Hope Powell’s squad that the nation is backing them all the way.” The WSFF has carried out research that shows 61% of sports fans would take more interest in women’s sport if it was given a higher profile on TV. Andy Burnham, shadow education secretary, and the Tory MP Tracey Crouch, who recently raised the issue of TV coverage of the women’s World Cup in the House of Commons, took to Twitter to urge the BBC to reconsider. The BBC has said that because it is contracted to show the Scottish Open golf on BBC1, and has a longstanding policy of not showing sport on both of its main channels at the same time, it was impossible to air the match on a linear channel. Because the game kicks off at 5pm, neither BBC3 or BBC4 will be on air. “There’s a scheduling clash because we’re contracted to show the Scottish Open golf. It will be live on the red button, which is now available to 90% of the population, and there will be highlights later in the evening on BBC2,” said a BBC spokeswoman. But the highlights won’t be shown until 11.35pm and there are fears that, as a result, fewer younger viewers will end up watching the match. “Just over 1.2 million football fans tuned into watch the 2009 European Championship final and around 700,000 viewers tuned into the edited highlights of the Japan match on Tuesday, while four million people watched the game live on German TV,” said Tibballs. “It’s clear that there’s an appetite for it, and we urge the BBC to make this change.” The Football Association has recently made promotion of the women’s game a priority, after several years of criticism that it was not doing enough to back it. However, Stuart Turner, FA commercial director said: “While they’re not our rights to sell, without the BBC, these games would not be on free-to-air at all and at a time when they’re also showing Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and The Open, there were always going to be scheduling pressures.” England’s first semi-professional women’s league, the FA Women’s Super League, began this summer. The BBC will point to its coverage across 5 Live and its website, as well as the fact that its Gabby Logan fronted live TV coverage is available to 90% of households via the red button, as evidence of its commitment. Women’s World Cup 2011 Women’s football BBC Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …England’s clash with France will only be screened live via red button interactive service The BBC is under pressure from MPs and charities to show England’s quarter-final clash with France in the women’s World Cup live on one of its main channels on Saturday, amid warnings that not doing so could hamper the growth of the sport. Hope Powell’s England team, who beat Japan 2-0 earlier this week in Germany to qualify for the quarter-finals, will only be shown live via the red button interactive service. The BBC is refusing to bow to the pressure to switch it to a terrestrial channel, even though while the match is on BBC2 viewers will be watching a repeat of classic Ronnie Barker comedy Porridge and antiques show Flog It! The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), which has campaigned for more media coverage of women’s sport amid fears that a lack of female role models is leading to a precipitous drop in girls playing sport at 16, said there was a risk the game would be unable to capitalise on the surge in interest. “With the growing buzz among football fans about the World Cup quarter-final it would be an unprecedented boost for women’s sport if the BBC could find a way to rejig the schedules,” said WSFF chief executive Sue Tibballs. “We appreciate that they have existing commitments to other sports but we’re talking about the quarter-final of the World Cup – the pinnacle of women’s sport. It would send the clearest message yet to Hope Powell’s squad that the nation is backing them all the way.” The WSFF has carried out research that shows 61% of sports fans would take more interest in women’s sport if it was given a higher profile on TV. Andy Burnham, shadow education secretary, and the Tory MP Tracey Crouch, who recently raised the issue of TV coverage of the women’s World Cup in the House of Commons, took to Twitter to urge the BBC to reconsider. The BBC has said that because it is contracted to show the Scottish Open golf on BBC1, and has a longstanding policy of not showing sport on both of its main channels at the same time, it was impossible to air the match on a linear channel. Because the game kicks off at 5pm, neither BBC3 or BBC4 will be on air. “There’s a scheduling clash because we’re contracted to show the Scottish Open golf. It will be live on the red button, which is now available to 90% of the population, and there will be highlights later in the evening on BBC2,” said a BBC spokeswoman. But the highlights won’t be shown until 11.35pm and there are fears that, as a result, fewer younger viewers will end up watching the match. “Just over 1.2 million football fans tuned into watch the 2009 European Championship final and around 700,000 viewers tuned into the edited highlights of the Japan match on Tuesday, while four million people watched the game live on German TV,” said Tibballs. “It’s clear that there’s an appetite for it, and we urge the BBC to make this change.” The Football Association has recently made promotion of the women’s game a priority, after several years of criticism that it was not doing enough to back it. However, Stuart Turner, FA commercial director said: “While they’re not our rights to sell, without the BBC, these games would not be on free-to-air at all and at a time when they’re also showing Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and The Open, there were always going to be scheduling pressures.” England’s first semi-professional women’s league, the FA Women’s Super League, began this summer. The BBC will point to its coverage across 5 Live and its website, as well as the fact that its Gabby Logan fronted live TV coverage is available to 90% of households via the red button, as evidence of its commitment. Women’s World Cup 2011 Women’s football BBC Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A 17-year-old skateboarder may face charges over the death of an 83-year-old pedestrian he ran into. Police in the seaside town of Capitola, Calif., say the teen was skateboarding downhill and passed a stop sign before slamming into the woman at up to 20mph. The teen has not yet been…
Continue reading …Same-sex marriages will become legal in New York on July 24—but though that’s a Sunday, clerk offices in New York City will be open for a full business day to accommodate couples. In addition, offices in all five boroughs will remain open for at least two additional hours during…
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Cape Canaveral downpours could postpone shuttle’s final mission by up to 10 days, warns Nasa weather expert Tropical downpours and thunderstorms around Cape Canaveral in Florida are reducing the likelihood of Nasa’s final space shuttle launching on schedule on Friday. Mission STS-135 is due to launch at 11:26am (EDT), bound for the International Space Station . But meteorologists at Nasa have warned that storm fronts will continue to hit the launch pad throughout the weekend. At a briefing on Thursday, as lightning hit the launch pad, the shuttle launch weather officer, Kathy Winters, said there was a 30% chance of favourable weather for the scheduled launch time. Winters told Spaceflight Now the weather “is not looking good for launch. As you can see outside, the clouds have rolled in, we’re starting to see some showers, we even had a thunderstorm show up this morning along Cocoa beach. We are expecting more of this the next couple of days.” And on Thursday afternoon, Nasa announced it was investigating the effects of a possible lightning strike that occurred a third of a mile from the launch pad. Engineers would review data, the agency said, and inspect the rotating service structure, which provides access to the orbiter on the launch pad and has to be rolled back before liftoff. If Atlantis misses its launch window, there are additional opportunities to launch early on Saturday and on Sunday morning, when the chances for favourable weather increase to about 40% and 60% respectively. If the delay continues after that, the next window for launch is likely to be on 16 July. A launch opportunity could also be opened up between 8 and 10 July if Nasa officials can negotiate a delay in the planned Delta IV rocket liftoff from Cape Canaveral next week. This rocket is scheduled to launch a GPS satellite. Ten hours before the scheduled launch, Nasa officials will gather to assess the latest weather forecasts before making the decision to fill Atlantis’s external fuel tanks. Technically, the team could count down to T-9 minutes before aborting, if required. Despite the potential hiccups, the STS-135 mission is technically sound and the four-person crew of Atlantis and associated ground staff are preparing to launch on time until a formal decision is made to postpone. At the weather briefing, Nasa’s test director, Jeff Spaulding, said: “Our teams here and really all around the world have been working extremely hard for quite awhile on this particular mission to make sure the vehicle and the payload are ready for hopefully a magnificent launch on Friday.” Final space shuttle mission Nasa Florida The space shuttle Space United States Alok Jha guardian.co.uk
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Cape Canaveral downpours could postpone shuttle’s final mission by up to 10 days, warns Nasa weather expert Tropical downpours and thunderstorms around Cape Canaveral in Florida are reducing the likelihood of Nasa’s final space shuttle launching on schedule on Friday. Mission STS-135 is due to launch at 11:26am (EDT), bound for the International Space Station . But meteorologists at Nasa have warned that storm fronts will continue to hit the launch pad throughout the weekend. At a briefing on Thursday, as lightning hit the launch pad, the shuttle launch weather officer, Kathy Winters, said there was a 30% chance of favourable weather for the scheduled launch time. Winters told Spaceflight Now the weather “is not looking good for launch. As you can see outside, the clouds have rolled in, we’re starting to see some showers, we even had a thunderstorm show up this morning along Cocoa beach. We are expecting more of this the next couple of days.” And on Thursday afternoon, Nasa announced it was investigating the effects of a possible lightning strike that occurred a third of a mile from the launch pad. Engineers would review data, the agency said, and inspect the rotating service structure, which provides access to the orbiter on the launch pad and has to be rolled back before liftoff. If Atlantis misses its launch window, there are additional opportunities to launch early on Saturday and on Sunday morning, when the chances for favourable weather increase to about 40% and 60% respectively. If the delay continues after that, the next window for launch is likely to be on 16 July. A launch opportunity could also be opened up between 8 and 10 July if Nasa officials can negotiate a delay in the planned Delta IV rocket liftoff from Cape Canaveral next week. This rocket is scheduled to launch a GPS satellite. Ten hours before the scheduled launch, Nasa officials will gather to assess the latest weather forecasts before making the decision to fill Atlantis’s external fuel tanks. Technically, the team could count down to T-9 minutes before aborting, if required. Despite the potential hiccups, the STS-135 mission is technically sound and the four-person crew of Atlantis and associated ground staff are preparing to launch on time until a formal decision is made to postpone. At the weather briefing, Nasa’s test director, Jeff Spaulding, said: “Our teams here and really all around the world have been working extremely hard for quite awhile on this particular mission to make sure the vehicle and the payload are ready for hopefully a magnificent launch on Friday.” Final space shuttle mission Nasa Florida The space shuttle Space United States Alok Jha guardian.co.uk
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Ali Abdullah Saleh appears on TV in broadcast from Saudi Arabia, his first public appearance since assassination attempt Yemen’s president has lashed out at opponents seeking to drive him from power in his first public appearance since he was injured in an assassination attempt last month that left him appearing stiff and weakened. Sitting rigid in a chair, his hair covered with a cloth and his hands wrapped in white bandages, Ali Abdullah Saleh accused “terrorist elements” of carrying out the 3 June attack and criticised his opponents for trying to topple him. He wore a white robe and his face appeared noticeably darker than before the attack. “Many have understood democracy incorrectly, through incorrect practices,” Saleh said in a seven-minute, pre-recorded video broadcast on Yemen state TV from Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving treatment. Saleh said he has undergone more than eight “successful operations,” adding to speculation about the severity of his injuries. Without naming any particular parties or groups, he called for dialogue as the only way to end the country’s crisis. “Where are the conscious people? Where are the honest people? Where are the believers and the men who fear Allah? Why don’t they stand with dialogue?” he said. “They should stand with dialogue so we can find solutions.” More than four months of popular uprising seeking to push the longtime ruler from power have shaken the impoverished corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Saleh has been in treatment in Saudi Arabia since 5 June after being injured in a bomb attack at his palace compound. Yemen Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Ali Abdullah Saleh appears on TV in broadcast from Saudi Arabia, his first public appearance since assassination attempt Yemen’s president has lashed out at opponents seeking to drive him from power in his first public appearance since he was injured in an assassination attempt last month that left him appearing stiff and weakened. Sitting rigid in a chair, his hair covered with a cloth and his hands wrapped in white bandages, Ali Abdullah Saleh accused “terrorist elements” of carrying out the 3 June attack and criticised his opponents for trying to topple him. He wore a white robe and his face appeared noticeably darker than before the attack. “Many have understood democracy incorrectly, through incorrect practices,” Saleh said in a seven-minute, pre-recorded video broadcast on Yemen state TV from Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving treatment. Saleh said he has undergone more than eight “successful operations,” adding to speculation about the severity of his injuries. Without naming any particular parties or groups, he called for dialogue as the only way to end the country’s crisis. “Where are the conscious people? Where are the honest people? Where are the believers and the men who fear Allah? Why don’t they stand with dialogue?” he said. “They should stand with dialogue so we can find solutions.” More than four months of popular uprising seeking to push the longtime ruler from power have shaken the impoverished corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Saleh has been in treatment in Saudi Arabia since 5 June after being injured in a bomb attack at his palace compound. Yemen Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest guardian.co.uk
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